Bob Dylan said it best when he sang about changing times, and now that songs is more prophetic than ever in the comic book industry. Hard to believe Marvel was once going out of business and having a fire sale, as their films are some of the biggest blockbusters of the summer season, and they’ve got more properties on TV and other media than ever before. Between facts like that and the fact that DC is panicking and rebooting their entire universe back to the basics, they feel like it may be time to join in the fun.

That’s where Marvel: Season One comes in. Rather than what DC is doing and mess with the ongoing continuity of their books, Season One is taking their most popular characters and giving old fans and new a chance to relive some of their early adventures with a separate series.

“With Marvel Season One we’ve assembled a group of great creators who’re delivering exciting, iconic, in-continuity stories of our most popular heroes,” said Tom Brevoort, Marvel SVP/Executive Editor. “If you’re a new fan, you can start your journey into comics with Season One and if you’re a seasoned fan you’ll find some thrilling new insight into your favorite characters.”

The complete first wave of Season One graphic novels includes:

• Fantastic Four: Season One by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Stephen King’s The Stand, Television’s Glee) and David Marquez (Secret Warriors), on-sale in February 2012

• X-Men: Season One by Dennis Hopeless (Legion Of Monsters, Lovestruck) and Jamie McKelvie (Generation Hope, Phonogram), on-sale in March 2012

• Daredevil: Season One by Antony Johnston (Daredevil) and Wellinton Alves (Nova), on-sale in April 2012

• Spider-Man: Season One by Cullen Bunn (Fear Itself: The Deep, Sixth Gun) and Neil Edwards (Fantastic Four), on-sale in May 2012

Not only will this be a way to introduce fans of the films to the original medium in which they started, but it’ll be great fodder for classic comic fans to see how modern artists re-imagine some of the great stories Lee and Kirby thought up decades ago. Expect to see these books hit shelves starting next year and check out the early covers from the first wave after the jump.

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Welcome to another edition of The Pull List Comic Reviews! We’ve got a lot off good issues to get through, so let’s get to it. As always, WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD.

PULL OF THE WEEK:

S.W.O.R.D. #1 – Marvel Comics – $3.99 US
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artists: Steven Sanders, Jamie McKelvie
Score: 9.0

Spinning out of Joss Whedon and John Cassaday’s seminal Astonishing X-Men run, S.W.O.R.D. is the new title focusing on the organization entrusted to ensure that alien invasions are kept to a minimum. The Sentient World Observation and Response Department’s co-commander, Abigail Brand, has enough on her plate as it is, but having Henry Peter Gyrich – yes, THAT guy – as your co-commander simply can’t be a good thing.

After making a name for himself with the critically acclaimed Phonogram series, Marvel thought that writer Kieron Gillen would be able to handle the launch of a new, ongoing series that has a lot of ties to it, and boy were they right. The juggling parallels between what Agent Brand must endure and the various plot threads that Gillen must keep going wasn’t lost on me; in fact, I’d say it only added to the story’s flow. Imagine Men In Black done up right.

So new that he could be considered a rookie, artist Steven Sanders is anything but. Sharp, clean pencils fill this issue from cover to cover, and while his interpretation of how Beast looks takes a little getting used to, ultimately it’s nit picking on an otherwise near-perfect comic. His rendition of Gyrich, especially, should be noted, as the character has never looked more dick-ish.

About as entertaining as an issue can be, this first issue manages to draw you in with quirky moments – Beast’s lovesick commentary, Lockheed’s binge drinking – and stunning revelations – hello, Kitty! – made this an incredibly easy selection for our Pull of the Week.

OTHER PULLS:

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